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Friday, November 30, 2012

After being forced to wear lederhosen for the annual holiday card picture, twelve-year-old Chris thinks that the least his parents can do is get him the Tony Hawk skateboard he wants for Christmas. But when he recovers the hand-carved Baby Jesus that everyone thought had been destroyed in a fire the year his Grandma died, Chris realizes that some gifts are even more important than skateboards.

When the author had to discontinue a cherished tradition of reading Christmas stories out loud with his family and holiday guests each week in December, he wrote Finding the Baby Jesus. He had been unable to locate enough meaningful stories that could be read in a single sitting with wiggly children.

My Review:

Please don't take this the wrong way, but this book was too "Hallmark-y" for me. It is a VERY short story with a VERY good meaning. I don't want to take away from that. The meaning behind the story is what Christmas is all about, but it seemed "to perfect" to me.

I LOVED how in the very short story, there were so many things covered: The meaning of Christmas, traditions, memories, honoring loved ones who have passed, new friendship, and more. It really is a sweet story, perfect for younger kids!

Praise for Finding the Baby Jesus:

“Tender and true, this warm Christmas tale brought tears to my eyes.”

–Heather Vogel Frederick, author of the much-beloved Mother-Daughter Book Club series and Oregon Book Award winner for The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed

“A touching story that speaks to the importance of family, giving, and the true spirit of Christmas.”

–Deborah Halverson, former editor at Harcourt Children’s Books and author of Honk If You Hate Me, a Gayle McCandliss Literary Award Winner

"The perfect little book to tuck away with your Christmas things and bring out year after year to read with family. As mother to three boys, I can't imagine a better protagonist than Chris. His typical teenage attitude followed by the softening of his heart towards a friend teaches a poignant and very relatable lesson on the true meaning of Christmas."
–Amazon review

"After I read this short story I felt like I had read a novel--every sentence is packed with action and imagery. I was emotionally connected to the characters, and the story is touching. I didn't see the plot twist at the end coming! A great story to read every Christmas."
–Amazon review

Kimball Fisher writes novels for young readers. He is also a best-selling business author, professional speaker, and management consultant. Some of his past jobs include: sailboat builder, ghost writer (not as scary as it sounds), illustrator, and factory manager (more scary than it sounds). For fun he builds furniture, stained-glass windows, and writing pens.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities (with minors in English, Asian Studies, and Japanese), and a Master of Organizational Behavior degree from Brigham Young University. He and his amazing wife Reenie live in Portland, Oregon, where they have seen pheasants, coyotes, and a bobcat in their own backyard.

Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

A young Poseidon must triumph over aquatic terrors in this Heroes in Training adventure. The merciless Cronus and his Titan buddies are in hot pursuit of Zeus, Hera, and Poseidon, who plan to travel across the treacherous boiling sea in order to save a fellow Olympian. They have a boat, but they also have a problem: Poseidon can’t swim and is terrified of the water (well, really of the creatures that lurk in its depths). The group faces danger after danger as they battle singing sirens, a fishy and ferocious Titan named Oceanus, and people-eating monsters sent by Cronus himself. Can Poseidon overcome his fears and help his fellow heroes escape Cronus and his cronies?

Heroes in Training by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams
Authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams deliver fun, adventures, and a few surprises as ten-year-old Olympians go on a journey of a lifetime to discover their true identities and defeat their Titan enemies.

Praise for Heroes in Training
"Readers will gobble this down and look for more, make no mythtake."
~ Kirkus

“This is a fun read, casting Zeus in the role of relatable kid, and there is a nice balance between his primary goal of survival and his sense of destiny and adventure. . . Share this title, and likely more to come, with those still too young for Percy Jackson’s adventures.”
~ School Library Journal

The Series

#1 Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom
#2 Poseidon and the Sea of Fury
#3 Hades and the Helm of Darkness
#4 Hyperion and the Great Balls of Fire

After pulling a magical thunderbolt from a stone, ten-year-old Zeus goes on the adventure of a lifetime in this thrilling start to a brand-new series! The terrible Titans--merciless giants who enjoy snacking on humans--have dominated the earth and put the world into chaos. But their rule is about to be put to the test as a group of young Olympians discover their powers and prepare to righteously rule the universe....

Ten-year-old Zeus is mystified (and super-annoyed) by the fact that he keeps getting hit by lightening. Every. Single. Year. He also longs for adventure, as he has never been far from the cave where he grew up.

Zeus gets his wish--and a lot more than he bargained for--when he is kidnapped by dangerous, giant Titans! In self-defense, he grabs the first thing he sees--an actual thunderbolt he pulls from a stone that is covered in mysterious markings. Zeus is the only one who can decipher the markings, and sets off on a quest to rescue his youthful fellow Olympians from the evil Cronus. Armed with his trusty thunderbolt (named Bolt, of course), Zeus is on an adventure of a lifetime--and a journey to fulfill his destiny as King of the Gods.

Hades and the Helm of Darkness (Book 3 coming April 2013)

The Heroes in Training are entering the Underworld—if Hades can conquer his canine fears, that is.

The Underworld usually isn’t really meant to be a fun place—but tell that to Hades! He loves the dark and the stinky smell of sulfur. However, there is one thing that Hades is not a fan of: dogs. And when Zeus and his fellow Olympians encounter Cerberus—a snarling, three-headed dog—Hades must conquer his fears and tame the hound so everyone can continue into the Underworld and deposit their Titan prisoner, Oceanus, back where he belongs!

But with magical water that causes forgetfulness, hot beds of lava, and another epic battle with two more Titans standing in their way, will Zeus and his heroes make it out of the Underworld with everyone intact?

Author Suzanne Williams

Suzanne Williams is the award-winning author of nearly 40 books for children, from picture books and easy readers to chapter books and middle grade fiction series. A former elementary school librarian, she lives near Seattle. Her picture book Library Lil (illustrated by Steven Kellogg) won the New Mexico children's choice award in 2000 and was on several other state award lists. She is co-author (with Joan Holub) of the popular Goddess Girls series(for ages 8 - 12) and Heroes in Training (ages 6 - 11). Other series include Fairy Blossoms and Princess Power.

I graduated from college in Texas with a fine arts degree, and then freelanced as an art director at a graphic design firm for eight years. I dreamed of working in children's books, so I moved to New York City and became associate art director in Scholastic trade books, where I designed books for children and worked with editors and illustrators. It was a great job.

I illustrated my first published children's book in 1992 and soon began illustrating full time. I began completing manuscripts and mailing them out to publishers in the early 1990s. In 1996, I sold my first two manuscripts -- Boo Who? A Spooky Lift-the-Flap Book (Scholastic) and Pen Pals (Grosset & Dunlap). Yippee!

Now I write full time and have written and/or illustrated over 130 children's books. Creating books that entertain, inform, and interest children (and me) is a fabulous job that I truly love.

My wife and I raised four daughters through school day
traumas of isolation, rejection, ostracism and dissociation, and bullying.
While none of our daughters were on the receiving end of all of these hateful practices, each experienced one or more
personally, and each saw them foisted upon others. It was our duty, as parents,
to guide them through these experiences by teaching them how to deal with the
pain, and by helping rebuild their shattered psyches after each experience.

We found it was just as important to instill in them empathy
and compassion for others suffering through the same trauma. We wanted to teach
them to look less at the pain they were experiencing and more to the pain of
others who they could help. Our
belief was that our kids needed to learn how to give of their compassion,
understanding, and love in their every day lives. Here are five basic
concepts that helped us in our efforts.

1. You are a good
person. One of the most
important elements in a giving heart is a sense of self worth that enables a
person to step away from his own problems and focus on the issues of others. To
be true givers, children need to have confidence in themselves. Build their self-esteem, but not
because they might be the “prettiest,” “smartest,” “best athlete,” or “most
popular,” but rather because they are empathetic and compassionate people. If
they cry when a person they know dies or they understand the pain when a friend
gets hurt or they help a neighbor in need, it is these feelings and actions
that make them good people.

2. Discuss issues
of evil and sadness in the world.
Getting children to sit and carry on a discussion about the issues of
the day can be virtually impossible. With homework, music lessons, sports
practice, electronics, friends, and every other conceivable interference, it’s
difficult to find a moment to have a conversation other than “hi.” But it’s vital that we do. It is our
task to find those moments where we can say “Did you hear about …?” and “Do you
think there’s anything we could (or should) do about …?” We need to ask them about any sad or
evil events of which they are aware, and how they feel “we” should react.
Despite the hesitation our child may express at first, the truth is that once
we get them talking, we have moved them away from focus on self and to thoughts
about the plight of others – an essential step in imprinting the concept of
giving onto their hearts.

3. Think of
someone at school who needs help.
Encourage your child to think of someone at school who might need
empathy, compassion, or simply a friend. Suggest they look beyond their
immediate circle of friends and identify someone who might be viewed as a
“geek,” a “nerd,” an outcast. Talk to your child about how that person must
feel; try to get your child to try on that person’s shoes so that they
understand how painful that person’s experiences are. Then discuss how your
child might be able to help, even with something as simple as a kind word.

4. Talk to friends
at school about those in need.
Encourage your children to step up in their peer groups to convince
friends not to judge those previously deemed below them. “I heard his parents
can’t afford to get him good soccer shoes; maybe we can figure out a way to
help. He’s a pretty good player.” “Her mother’s been really sick. Maybe we should ask her to join us and
see if she needs help.” Or just plain, “She looks weird, I know, but she’s a
nice person, just a little shy.”

The point here is that our child steps up and gives herself
to the pain and suffering of those ridiculed by her group. Peer pressure makes
this one very difficult, and a parent’s discussion about the proper approach to
the peers is essential. It doesn’t require that your child take over the
leadership role from the “king” or “queen” of the group, but rather that she
use her subtle influence and intelligence to move the leader to compassion that
the others will follow.

5. Stand up
against injustice even if alone.
Our children know right from wrong because we have taught and continue
to teach them the difference. When they see bullying or other injustice in their
schools or other social settings, they must step up to protect the weak and
bullied.

The most difficult thing for the normal “non-leader” child
is to become visible by asserting themselves. It’s difficult because by
standing up within the group or outside the group, the child is challenging
leadership and risks becoming the butt of jokes or the one who is bullied. This
is why parental guidance in the art of subtlety within the group, and of
strength of purpose outside the group is essential. In conjunction with that
guidance, our child’s knowledge that we, as parents, have his back when he
steps up, gives him the strength he needs to stand tall.

Teaching our children to give is the essence of our duty as
parents. It’s an enormous undertaking, yet what better gift can we give our
world than a child who “gives” herself in the fight against injustice, cruelty
and inequality?

Darryl Nyznyk is a full-time storyteller and father of
four grown daughters. As a parent, he began to take a hard look at the world
around him - one of extreme political and social divisiveness – and as an
author, he wanted to share the message with the world that he had been telling
in his own home for years....a message of hope, love and faith. He is
the author of Mary’s Son: A Tale of Christmas.

Enter the Mary’s Son: A Tale of Christmas contest!

Readers: Comment on the
post with what your favorite charity is and why. Darryl will choose a grand
prize winner and match a donation of up to $100. The winner will also receive a
signed copy of Mary’s Son.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Synopsis:From the internationally bestselling author of After the Party comes a delightfully funny, brilliantly poignant novel about three strangers who are brought together by the father they never knew.

Lydia, Dean and Robyn don’t know one another. Yet. Each is facing difficult challenges. Lydia is still wearing the scars from her traumatic childhood. Wealthy and successful, she leads a lonely and disjointed existence. Dean is a young, unemployed, single dad whose life is going nowhere. Robyn is eighteen. Gorgeous, popular and intelligent, she entered her first year of college confident of her dream to become a pediatrician. Now she’s failing her classes. Now she’s falling in love for the first time.

Lydia, Dean and Robyn live very different lives, but each of them, independently, has always felt that something was missing. What they don’t know is that a letter is about to arrive that will turn their lives upside down. It is a letter containing a secret—one that will bind them together and show them what love and family and friendship really mean.

“So good that I practically inhaled it,” praised the Daily Mail (London). The Making of Us is a literary gem that will remind readers of the miracles that happen when we bring life into the world and share our lives with those we love.

My Review: The Making of Us is the first of Lisa Jewell's books that I have read, but not the last. I really enjoyed it! I like how there was four different stories in one and how they all come together through the book. Each chapter is told from one of the four main characters. Each story unfolds and molds with each other until they all come together at the end.

The Making of Us has very like-able characters that want you to keep reading to see what happens to them all. Each character is struggling with their own issues and we are taken on the journey of how they resolve them.

If you are looking for a great read, consider picking up The Making of Us. I know I am going to pick up some of Lisa's other books, Ralph's Party, Before I Met You, Roommates Wanted and After the Party! Can't wait to read them.

Meet the Author: Lisa Jewellis the bestselling author of eight previous novels, including Ralph’s Party and After the Party. She lives in London, England with her husband and two daughters.

Purchase It: You can purchase The Making of Us online at Amazon for $16.00 (Kindle for $9.99 and Prime Members for $12.24)

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Synopsis:An invaluable CIA asset has gone missing, and with him, secrets that in the wrong hands could prove disastrous. The only question is: Can Mitch Rapp find him first?

Joe Rickman, head of CIA clandestine operations in Afghanistan, has been kidnapped and his four bodyguards executed in cold blood. But Mitch Rapp’s experience and nose for the truth make him wonder if something even more sinister isn’t afoot. Irene Kennedy, director of the CIA, has dispatched him to Afghanistan to find Rickman at all costs.

Rapp, however, isn’t the only one looking for Rickman. The FBI is too, and it quickly becomes apparent that they’re less concerned with finding Rickman than placing the blame on Rapp.

With CIA operations in crisis, Rapp must be as ruthless and deceitful as his enemies if he has any hope of finding Rickman and completing his mission. But with elements within his own government working against both him and American interests, will Rapp be stopped dead before he can succeed?

My Review: Once again Vince Flynn has hit a home run with his latest
Mitch Rapp novel. The Last Man (as in the last man you wan
to mess with) is extremely fast-paced and can be finished in a day or two. So engrossing is this latest novel,
that you’ll miss half a day as you are immersed in the behind the scenes in
Afghanistan. Stan, Irene,
Mike and Scott are all back, along with a ghost from Rapp’s past. Vince Flynn doesn’t disappoint with
this latest installment, and you’ll be on the edge of your seat throughout the
book. Beware, a major twist is
involved that I didn’t see coming, but Mitch Rapp was all too aware of.I love Vince Flynn's books, especially the Mitch Rapp series. I would love to see the Mitch Rapp series turned into a movie. I think the Vince himself could play Mitch....just saying. I have been a fan since his first book, American Assassin. I look forward to a new book of his every year!

Meet the Author:Vince Flynn (isn't he so cute!) is a best-selling American author of political thriller novels. He is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and three children. You can connect with Vince online, Facebook and PinterestPurchase It: You can purchase The Last Man online at Amazon for $27.99 ($12.99 Kindle version and $15.99 for Prime members)

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Cassidy Christensen is running.
Running from the mercenaries who killed her parents.
Running from a scheming redhead intent on making her life miserable.
Running from painful memories that sabotage her dreams of happiness.

With two very tempting men competing for her attention, she hopes she'll finally have someone to run to, but can she trust either of them? When secrets from her past threaten her family, Cassidy decides to stop running and fight for her future.

Dying to Run

Cassidy Christensen wants to run.

Captured by the traffickers who killed her mother, her only hope is Dr. Tattoo, a man she loves but nobody trusts. When she finally gets a chance to run, someone else she cares about is taken. Running might be her only chance at survival, but she won’t allow another family member to be killed in her place.

This must-read sequel to Dead Running will have you laughing, biting your nails, and hoping for more.

Cami Checketts is married and the proud mother of four future WWF champions. Sometimes between being a human horse, cleaning up magic potions, and reading Bernstein Bears, she gets the chance to write fiction.

Cami graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Exercise Science. Cami teaches strength training classes at her local rec and shares healthy living tips on her fitness blog: http://fitnessformom.blogspot.com.

Cami and her family live in the beautiful Cache Valley of Northern Utah. During the two months of the year it isn't snowing, she enjoys swimming, biking, running, and water-skiing.

Price Drop Giveaway!
$20 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash from Author Cami Checketts
Ends 12/23/12Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Synopsis:Shame is a powerful thing. It can weigh on your heart and mind, diminish your sense of self-worth, and impact the way you live in the world. But what happens when you share that secret burden?Amy Ferris, Hollye Dexter, and the writers they brought together are all ready to let go of shame. In Dancing at the Shame Prom, twenty-six extraordinary women—Lyena Strelkoff, Teresa Stack, Monica Holloway, Nina Burleigh, Amy Friedman, Meredith Resnick, Victoria Zackheim, and more—take the plunge and say “yes” to sharing their stories. These brave writers, journalists, musicians, artists, directors, and activists have offered up their most funny, sad, poignant, miraculous, life-changing, and jaw-dropping secrets for you to gawk at, empathize with, and learn from—in the hopes that they will inspire others to do the same. Letting go feels good!

Freeing, provocative, and audacious, Dancing at the Shame Prom is about flaunting the secrets that have made you feel small so that you can stand up straight, let the shame go, and finally—decisively—move on with your life.

My Review:Dancing at the Shame Prom is an amazing collection of stories written by women. I swear, I could write a story a week!! It is so nice to know I am not alone in baring the "shame."

I loved at the end of each chapter/story, the author lets us know what they wish we take away from their story. This is so powerful. It is another affirmation of their stories and the shame they have carried.

Some stories are very funny while others are very serious (and deal with serious topics). No matter the story, you will be pulled in from the beginning all the way to end.

Dancing at the Shame Prom would make a great gift for all the women in your life. I think this would be fantastic to share with a circle of friends and discuss the stories and their impact.

Some of the stories I could add to Dancing at the Shame Prom would relate to some of the ways I treated my mother. Since she pasted away, I have had a lot of flashback to me being a nasty child and saying things that had to be hurtful. I wish I could discuss those with her now and let her know, just how nasty I know I could be. I would also write about the shame I feel in being a working mother and the fact that I can't be involved in with my kids school and after school life. I know it is reality, but I carry a lot of shame related to it. Amy and Hollye, keep me in mind for Dancing at the Shame Prom, Take 2!

Meet the Authors:Amy Ferrisis an author, editor, screenwriter and playwright. Her memoir,Marrying George Clooney: Confessions From a Midlife Crisis (Seal Press)is Off-Broadway-bound. She has contributed to numerous anthologies, includingHe Said What, The Buddha Next Door, The Drinking Diaries,andExit Laughing, andhas written everything from young adult novels(A Greater Goode),to co-writing films(Funny ValentinesandMr. Wonderful). She hasbeenboth an editor, and contributing writer at the magazinesUrban Refugee, Living Buddhism andMilford Magazine,and contributes regularly toiPinionSyndicate, andStyleSubstanceSoul.

Ferris serves on the Executive Board of Directors at Pages & Places Literary Festival in Scranton, PA, Peters Valley Arts, and the Education and Craft Center, and serves on the Advisory Board of The Women's Media Center. She is on faculty at The San Miguel de Allende Writers' Festival, and is a visiting teacher at UCLA (extension). Her number one goal, desire, and dream is for ALL women to awaken to their greatness, their beauty, and their power.

Hollye Dexter is a blogger and essayist, and the author of two memoirs. Her stories have been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Answered Prayers and Character Consciousness, as well as online at Fem2pt0, The Next Family, The Shape of A Mother, and BackPage magazine. She writes regularly for iPinion Syndicate and AOL Patch News.

Dexter is a singer/songwriter with four albums out, and for the past decade has run workshops for teens in foster care through her award-winning nonprofit organization Art and Soul. In 2007 she was given the Agape Spirit award by Dr. Michael Beckwith (from The Secret) for her work with at-risk youth. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three children.

You can connect with Dancing at the Shame Prom (including Amy and Hollye) online at their blog, Facebook and Twitter.

Purchase It: You can purchase Dancing at the Shame Prom online at Amazon for $16.00 (Kindle version $9.76 and Prime members $11.68)

Monday, November 26, 2012

Synopsis:The LEGO® Technic system opens a new realm of building possibilities. Using motors, gears, pneumatics, pulleys, linkages, and more, you can design LEGO models that reallymove.

The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide is filled with building tips for creating strong yet elegant machines and mechanisms with the Technic system. Author Pawel "Sairel" Kmiec will teach you the foundations of LEGO Technic building, from simple machines to advanced mechanics, even explaining how to create realistic to-scale models. Sariel, a world-renowned LEGO Technic expert, offers unique insight into mechanical principles like torque, power translation, and gear ratios, all using Technic bricks. You'll learn how to:

Create sturdy connections that can withstand serious stress

Re-create specialized LEGO pieces like casings and u-joints, and build solutions like Schmidt and Oldham couplings, when no standard piece will do

This beautifully illustrated, full-color book will inspire you with ideas for building amazing machines like tanks with suspended treads, supercars, cranes, bulldozers, and much more. Your Technic adventure starts now!

My Review:The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide is another must have for LEGO lovers of all ages. My son (5th grade) participated again this year in his schools LEGO league competition. One part of the competition is to build a robot out of LEGOs to perform a set of challenges. He took The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide in to practice one day and his team mates devoured this book from cover to cover.

The full color diagrams and easy to follow instructions make building motors, gears, pulleys and more so much easier to build. The book also explains the whys and hows of how all the mechanics work together.

The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide really is an awesome, must have book. You (or your LEGO lover) will not be disappointed with this purchase.

Meet the Author:Pawel "Sariel" Kmiec is a LEGO Technic enthusiast based in Warsaw, Poland. A prolific blogger and model builder, Sariel's LEGO creations have been featured in many magazines, the world's most popular LEGO blogs, and even prompted the LEGO Group to use his help in developing some of its products. Sariel is a guest blogger for the official LEGO Technic website and is a 2012 LEGO Ambassador for Poland. He is YouTube's most-viewed LEGO Technic builder.

Purchase It: You can purchase The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide online at Amazon for $29.95 ($14.37 Kindle version and $18.78 Prime members).

Synopsis:Unleash your imagination as you journey through the wide-ranging world of LEGO building with The LEGO Adventure Book. This inspiring tour is filled with bright visuals, step-by-step breakdowns of 25 models, and nearly 200 example models from the world's best builders. Learn to build robots, trains, medieval villages, spaceships, airplanes, and much more. Whether you're brand-new to LEGO or have been building for years, this book is sure to spark your imagination and motivate you to keep creating!My Review: Another 5 star, must have book for those that love LEGOs! The LEGO Adventure Book includes contributions from over a dozen expert LEGO builders, with models like:

A medieval village featuring an outdoor market, butcher shop and fortified castle

Dinosaur favorites like the Stegosaurus and T. Rex, completed with articulated tail and jaw

A modern city full of shops, garages, vehicles, and even cable cars

A realistic British locomotive with working brakes

A huge selection of hot rods and race cars

The LEGO Adventure Book is designed for fans of all ages and ability levels. My girls and I loved the chapter on dinosaurs. We had a fun time rummaging through our huge box of mixed matched LEGOs to find the pieces needed to build a T-Rex - our favorite dino!

My girls also LOVED the chapter, Making New Friends. They love the LEGO Friends collection and this chapter focused on building "non-LEGO" Friend sets. The pool is just too cool! I loved the piano!Again, another LEGO book, must have! I recommend The LEGO Adventure Book to anyone who loves to build and play with LEGOs.

Meet the Author:Megan Rothrock is a former set designer for the LEGO Group whose models have been displayed at ComicCon and at LEGO events across Europe. Rothrock enjoys meeting builders at LEGO fan events and hopes that her book will inspire the LEGO builders of tomorrow. Originally from California, she currently lives in Denmark where she works as a freelance toy designer.Purchase It: You can purchase The LEGO Adventure Book online from Amazon for $24.95 ($9.99 Kindle version and $14.85 Prime members).

A week or so ago, I posted a review on The Good Woman by Jane Porter. Today, I have the pleasure of sharing with you all an interview with Jane! I for one, can't wait for The Good Daughter to come out early next year.

SBN: Which Brennan sister do you most identify with?

JP: I probably identify with Meg and Kit most, because I was the second oldest in a family of four kids, and the oldest girl, which meant I felt a lot of responsibility for the younger ones, as well as being the support for my mom. But I married the baby of a large family, and have always been close to my youngest brother, and it’s interesting getting life from their perspective. They don’t stress about the same things the firstborns stress about. And they get tired of the older siblings always thinking they know what’s best for them. I’m also sensitive to the experience of being a younger sister, as my sister had to contend with me as her big sister and it couldn’t have been easy for her always being compared to me. She was very smart, very athletic, and a daredevil. She loved taking risks and had incredible confidence in her abilities (which I never, ever had), but because I was the good girl, and didn’t take risks, and played it safe, people held me up as admirable. I don’t think my sister found it easy having people (or me) say, “Why aren’t you good like Jane?” Birth order is so fascinating. It really does impact the way we make decisions and our perceptions, and that’s probably why I had to write this series. Families are messy and intense and compelling. And that’s the world I love best.

SBN: I know The Good Daughter is set to release in February 2013 and will be focused on Kit, what is the order and anticipated released dates of the other books? By the way, I am sure you can't say, but please tell me Kit doesn't end up with Richard.

JP: Ha! This really made me laugh. I love Kit’s book, The Good Daughter, which hits shelves February 5th. I really love that story. It’s probably my favorite book I’ve ever written and I can’t wait to get reader feedback. The Good Wife, Sarah’s story, comes out in Fall 2013, and I’m hoping (please, please publishing gods!!) that there will be a fourth, and final, book in Spring 2014, which would be The Good Sister, and Brianna’s story, along with a return to Meg. I have that story plotted out in my head and its fascinating to go back to Santa Rosa and Napa, the setting of The Good Woman, and return to where we began the Brennan Sisters series.

SBN: I love the activities that Meg's children were involved in....ballet, horseback riding, and baseball. Did you play any sports as child (or now as an adult)?

JP: Meg’s kids’ activities were inspired by their Northern California lifestyle. I had cousins who spent every afternoon at the stables, but I was a swimmer, and a dancer. From the time I was seven, I was on a summer league swim team, and during the school year, I danced every day until I was fifteen. And I don’t play sports now, (well, I swim in Hawaii, and will on occasion surf there), but my three boys are all water babies—they swim, surf, play water polo. In our family, that love of the water runs pretty deep!

SBN: Do you write daily? I picture authors locking themselves in a room and writing until the book is finished.

JP: You picture my world pretty accurately. I definitely don’t do as much when I’m on deadline. Once on deadline, I pull away, pull back, and retreat into a small space without too much external stimulation. I’m a little resistant to deadlines for that reason, but once I’d deeply immersed (committed??) I’m okay. Writing is hard. And I want to write a great book, so after a while I get to a point where I’m so creatively conflicted and worried and agonizing over the story, and if I’m making the right decisions, that I just need to get the book done. It becomes all consuming…get book done, get book done, get book done. This is when family and friends start avoiding me! J

SBN: How do you come up with your ideas for novels? Are they based off real life experiences/modified?

JP: Stories beget stories…an idea for one novel often gives life to another. A couple of my novels were inspired by an event or a conversation in my life which led to an “aha moment!”, a moment where I realized my situation or emotion was universal, that I wasn’t the only woman to feel a certain way, or experience that conflict as a woman, mother, wife, sister. I find our lives as women fascinating. We lead such complex and challenging lives, with equally challenging demands. It’s a true juggling act, and at times we sacrifice what we want and need to make others happy, or successful, and then there are times when we must learn to put ourselves first. And these are the themes in my novels, because they are the themes of our lives.

SBN: What do you like to do when you are not writing?

JP: Read, travel, watch movies, go for drives, putter in my garden, cook. By the time a book is finished I hate my desk and computer so I want to do anything and everything that’s not desk related.

SBN: What are you currently reading?

JP: Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley. It’s become quite the eBook sensation, for good reason.

SBN: What are some of your favorite books?

JP: I read a lot of historical and paranormal romance, as well as adore everything written by the late Georgette Heyer.

Having being a teacher, I read and taught literary fiction, and studied the classics all the way through graduate school, but by the end of my 20’s, I didn’t want to read the classics anymore, or literary fiction that was dark, and focused on loss: loss of self, loss of society, loss of hope. I’d experienced a great deal of loss in my life, and the dark, heartbreaking subject matter wasn’t good for me emotionally, or spiritually. I used to worry about being perceived as an intellectual lightweight for preferring warm, optimistic commercial fiction, but I know what I need--hope, light, faith and courage, but I don’t feel that way anymore. I read what I like to read, and prefer stories about interesting people who are good people, as well as compassionate and strong.

SBN: Can you read other books and write at the same time?

JP: Not very well! I tend to read very little when I’m writing a lot. I wish I could read more, but I find I need the quiet in my brain to let my own characters walk around and tell me what’s going to happen next.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Synopsis: What exactly is a slope? What's the difference between a tile and a plate? Why is it bad to simply stack bricks in columns to make a wall? The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide is here to answer your questions.

Focusing on building actual models with real bricks, The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide comes with complete instructions to build several cool models but also encourages you to use your imagination to create your own fantastic creations.

Inside, you'll learn:

The best ways to connect bricks and creative uses for those patterns

Tricks for calculating and using scale (it's not as hard as you think)

The step-by-step plans to create a train station on the scale of LEGO people (a.k.a. "minifigs")

The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide also includes the Brickopedia, a visual guide to nearly 300 of the most useful and reusable elements of the LEGO system, with historical notes, common uses, part numbers, and the year each piece first appeared in a LEGO set.

The firm foundation for your LEGO hobby starts here!

My Review: One word.....AWESOME! If you are a LEGO lover (or know someone who is) The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide is a must have. My kids are LEGO lovers (so happy that my girls are too, as it wasn't encouraged when I was young, unless you were a boy).

The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide explains the fundamentals of building practices that apply to any model. My girls are still a little to young to fully understand these concepts, but my son (5th grade) 100% got it and absorbed it like a sponge. In fact the day The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide arrived, it disappeared immediately. It took me over a week to realize it "disappeared" without me even looking through it.

Some of my favorite parts of The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide is the Brickopedia. It explains all the different pieces and has photos of them as well.

My favorite chapter is 8, Mosaics: Patterns and Pictures in Bricks. This chapter explains how to create a picture out of legos using graph paper. The possibilities are endless.

You can't go wrong with The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide. Buy it today!

Meet the Author: Allan Bedford is a lifelong LEGO fan and builder whose most ambitious model is a 5,000-piece replica of Toronto's famed CN Tower. An avid photographer, Bedford spends his time chronicling the streets and people of his adopted hometown, Toronto.

Purchase It: You can buy The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide online from Amazon for $24.95 (Kindle version $10.97 and Prime members for $16.86

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Synopsis: Dare to dream big with a full glass of lemonade.Pink Lemonade teaches girls to turn “life’s lemons” into lemonade through developing inner strength and confidence. This special life lemonade is unique to each individual, built on the idea that contributing positively to oneself and to others is the recipe for a joyous and successful life.Even the very worst situations in life can be made into something that will one day help girls to build self-confidence. Pink Lemonade is filled with words of encouragement and inspirational advice, shared by successful women across the country. Readers will learn how to believe with intention, set out to accomplish great things and be the amazing girls that they already are.Pink Lemonade shows girls how to keep their personal glass of lemonade both vibrant and full, and to forge a path in life that can lead to nothing but success. Not all days in life will be easy, but Pink Lemonade teaches readers how to make each one worth it."

My Review: Pink Lemonade is a beautiful keepsake for girls. The book is fast to read and one to keep on your bookshelf. Pink Lemonade is the type of inspirational book that you can read over and over again through life. It is bursting with great advice,encouragement and uplifting words.

Here are a few of my favorites:

"Be yourself and listen to your heart; she is an amazing voice who guides you to new heights."

"Smile. A simple smile can change someone's day."

"Stand Proud. If you stand tall with confidence, you'll never fall."

I can't wait to share Pink Lemonade with my girls. Even though this book is for girls, there are messages that you can even share with boys. Pink Lemonade would make a great gift for any occasion and perfect for any age.

Meet the Author: Carey Grund is a mother of three young girls. Her daughters were her source of inspiration for writing Pink Lemonade. Carey teaches her girls to dream big, believe in their inner strength and turn life's lemons into something they can grow from. Carey was a succesful corporate Mama for over a decade. She followed her dreams and became Chief Mama and CEO when she founded SmilegramPaper. Carey teaches that anything is possible with a dream, confidence, and of course, a full glass of lemonade.

You can connect with author of Pink Lemonade, Carey Grund and founder of Smilegrampaper on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest,